Meng La Wins the Second $1 Million-Guaranteed Event at the L.A. Poker Classic

As they say in England, 133 "runners" each put up $7,600 to play in the $1 million-guaranteed no-limit hold'em championship at the L.A. Poker Classic at Commerce Casino. All of the American poker stars were there, as were some of Europe's best. The three-day event concluded with a final table that was played into the wee hours of the morning. Meng La beat a tough field, including a final table of Ken Jacobs, Chris Bjorin, Tom McEvoy, Tom McCormick, Aitan Hillel, John Juanda, Steven Wolff, and David Chiu. Meng's aggressive style of play and great reads enabled him to become the newest no-limit hold'em champion. On the second day of the event, I was in the big blind with K-3 offsuit and Meng was in the small blind with 5-3 offsuit, and it was folded around to us. The flop came K-5-3 without a suit, and he was able to get away from the hand on the turn when a 9 came, whereas most players would have gone broke in the same situation. Great laydowns like this enable one to win a tournament.

With two tables left, my father and I had to sit next to each other, and this made both of us uncomfortable. This was the second championship in a row that this happened, and I didn't like it. Sure, he is a better than average player (ha, ha), and I would love to bust him, but someone else should have the opportunity to get all of his chips. It seemed like every time he raised, I made a huge reraise with a monster hand and he folded. I always showed the big hand to avoid any questions, but that shouldn't have to happen. Mike Sexton has written about immediate family members not being able to play at the same table until the final table, and I couldn't agree more. It is better for everyone involved.

Congratulations to Daniel Negreanu, who battled back during the last week of the tournament to win the best overall player award.

I am pleased to announce that Bellagio will be hosting a $3,100 buy-in monthly tournament for the remainder of the year, and a $10,200 buy-in no-limit hold'em tournament at the end of May. Jack McClelland will be running the tournaments, and there will be plenty of play. The $3,100 events will have 90-minute rounds with players starting with $6,000 in chips, and the $10,200 event will have 120-minute rounds with players starting with $20,000 in chips. The first event will be a $3,100 buy-in no-limit hold'em tournament April 16-18 (see Vegas News and Views on Page 66 for more details). See you there!